Today as most was a new product day for me. I feel like the products that I am being exposed to, everything from different types of tomatoes, squash, and now fresh squid are really changing my culinary point of view.
Today in class we made spaghetti with squid ink, topped with sauteed squid and other seafood. This was my first time breaking down a squid or any molusk for that matter, and it was quite interesting. The squid was very slimy and had a beautiful black ink sack inside of it that emmited this deep pigmented black when opened. We made a sauce from the squid ink and olive oil, very basic and simple, yet refreshingly good. I got high complements on the pasta that was cooked perfectly al-dente, a rairity to find in the US.
We also made swordfish stuffed with cheese and eggplant. A quite unusual dish itself because traditionally seafood is not paired with cheese because of their salt content.
After class we explored a local market that sells mostly leather goods (jackets, coats, belts, bags, pocketpurses, journals, etc.) I splurged and bought a journal for 17 Euro, my first purchase other than food since I've been here.
Around 5 a group of us headed to Ganzo for dinner. I worked front of the house tonight and it really gave me an insight on how Italians eat. The menu tonight was Prix-Fix and themed around seafood.
The first course (Antipasto) was a paring of salmon carpaccio and war octopus potato salad
The second course (Primo) was clam and zucchini risotto
The third course (Secondo) was fried Mediterrian fish and squid
The fourth course (Dolce) was peach sorbet garnished with a peach compote and tuille.
The peaches here are amazing! and we have them nearly every day for lunch along with cantaloupe that is out of this world. Yes, I said it, the best peaches are not in Georgia, nor South Carolina they can be found in Italy. The peaches ive had are better than the 4th of July peaches on a hot Carolina day, and its only the first part of June. However, that isn't to say I still don't love a good South Carolina peach.
If there is one thing that I think will resound throughout this blog, and my experience here is how amazing the food is. Us Americans don't know what good food is. Farmers markets come close but do not match what can be found here. It is amazing what can happen when you combine a few great ingredients. For instance, the sauce for the pasta today was squid ink, white wine, water and olive oil. Basic yet delicious. Not to undermine any of the great American chefs, but perhaps one of the reasons their food is so great is because they use great ingredients, a foreign concept to Americans. Bottom line, you should know where your food came from. It should not be imported from half way across the world. Don't like what is local? Tough shit. get over it. Its like eating strawberries in December, it shouldn't happen. Okay, that's enough of my rant and rave about how messed up americans are when it comes to food.
For now it is bedtime, I have several posts in the upcoming days already in my head, so thank you to those who read this, It really warms me to know that there are people who care about me and are interested in my adventures.
Faith, Hope, & Love,
Matt
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